Interlocking hanger



D66. 26, 1933. c w. GORDON 1,941,258

I INTERLOCKING HANGER Filed Au 14, 19:51

\ INVENTOR. g CharlasWGcrd n BY @M' ATTORNEY Patented o... 26, 1933 PATENT OFFICE mnnocxmo HANGER Charles W. Gordon, Munster, 1nd,, assignor to The Super-heater Company, New York, N. Y.

Application August 14, 1931. Serial No. 557,065

10 Claims. (01. 122-470) This invention relates to devices for connecting parallel lengths of looped pipe units and to combinations including such devices and looped pipe A common arrangement for supporting superheater or like units is one having vertical bars suitably supported from the boiler or like structure. and having lateral arms contacting with the individual pipe lengths of the units for supporting same. It is difllcult in such arrangements to insure that the lateral arms of the vertical rods maintain firm contact with the elements. There is therefore a low rate of heat transfer from the supporting structure to the units and the rods and arms must withstand thecomparatively high temperature of the furnace gases without appreciable cooling. Such .supporting nieans must, therefore, be of expensive material and, even when this is the case, they are not long lived.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide means whereby the above stated qifllculties may be minimized.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a supporting arrangement for superheater units which shall be convenient and economical to install.

The novel features of my invention are pointed out in the appended claims. morder, however, that the invention, together with its objects and advantages, may be more fully and clearly understood, I will now describe in detail, by way of example and in connection with the accompanying drawing, a boiler having superheater umts supported and constructed in accordance with my invention. In said drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of a portion of a standard type of water tube boiler having my invention associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a detail view on an enlarged scale, showing two adiacent parallel pipe lengths of a superheater element connected in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. 2.

The apparatus illustrated includes a boiler having an upper tube bank 10 and a lower tube bank 12 spaced apart to receive a superheater having elements, one of which is shown at 14, said elements being connected to conduct steam between headers 16 and 18. In the arrangement shown, the elements 14 lie in vertical planes and are suspended from the tubes of bank 10. For this purpose, I have illustrated supports 20, 20 adapted to lie in the lanes between the tubes of bank 10 and to interlock with the tubes so as to be capable of supporting the web suspended therefrom. Such supports are well known and will not be shown or described in detail. At their lower ends, supports 20 are fixed to castings 22, 22 which support in turn vertical rods or bars 24, 24

Xmas trees extend vertically the entire height of the elements 14. In accordance with my invention, however, this is not necessary, and I have shown the rods 24 as extending-down only far enough so that their arms 26 support the two upper pipe lengths 28 of the elements 14.

In order that the elements 14 may be adequately supported and that there may be no danger of the loops of the elements changing their shape, I have shown connecting means between the lower pipe lengths 30, 30 of element 14 in accordance with my invention. As illustrated and as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each of the connecting means 32 comprises a plate 34, one end of which is bifurcated to provide two arms 36, 36, the free ends of which are formed to contact closely with the outer surface of one of the pipe lengths 30, Suitable means are provided for holding the arms 36 in tight contact with the surface of the length 30 so that there may be: good heat transfer between the pipe and plate 34. As shown, weld metal is employed along the lines 38, 38 where the arms 36 meet the pipe 30 to hold the arms and pipe length firmly together. The lower-end of each of the plates 34 has an enlarged tongue or dovetail 40 thereon, the purpose of which will presently appear. The connecting means 32 has, in addition to the plate or tongue carrying member 34, a socket or groove member 42 in the form of a channel open at one end and closed at the other end by'a cross web 44. The sides of channel 42 are arranged in close contact with the surface of a pipe length 30 adjacent to the one to which plate 34 is connected. For securing channel 42 to its associated pipe length 30, I have shown weld metal 46, 46 so placed as to hold the two parts in good heat conducting relation. It will be seen that the bodies of weld metal 38 and 46 are not only effective means for holding parts 34and 42 in tight heat conducting contact with their associated pipe lengths, but themselves also conduct heat very efiiciently between parts such as 34 and 42 use and 65 and their associated .pipe lengths owing to the integral union between each body of weld metal and the parts it unites. The free ends of the channel member 42 are bent over, as shown at 5 48, 48 to form a groove or socket adapted to embrace the tongue 40 on the plate 34 and engage its upper surface, the ends of the bent portions, however, being spaced apart to provide an opening 50 through which the plate 34 may extend.

It will be seen also that no part of the tongue member 34 or of the groove member 42 projects outside the two vertical planes which are externally tangent to the two pipe lengths 30, shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that a "unit in 'accordance with my invention and made with connecting means such as 32 between adjacent pipe lengths occupies no more space than the previously used types of elements and canbe installed in and removed from the boiler very conveniently.

In assembling the connecting means 32, the tongue 40 is slipped into the groove or socket formed by the member 42, parts 34 and 42 being thereby locked together to' resist stresses perpention therewith, and means providing a slidable dicular to the axes of the pipe lengths 30. Parts 34 and 42 are then welded to twoadjacent pipe lengths 30. The plate 34, however, is not placed close to the cross web 44 of part 42 so that members 34 and 44 may move relatively to each other in the direction parallel to the axes of lengths 30, thereby permitting relative motion of the pipe lengths in the longitudinaldirection during periods of changing temperatures. In the arrangement shown, the pipe lengths 28 and 30 are connected for flow of steam therethru in series. Such an arrangement is that used in most superheater installations, but produces a relatively large motion between adjacent pipe runs. It is desirable, therefore, in such installations, to assemble the parts so that, when cold, the parts 34 and 42 are somewhat offset, the tongue 40 then extending only part way into the groove of piece 42. The parts are so assembled, however, that, as the parts are heated up, the motion of the two adjacent pipe lengths 30 causes the dovetail 40 to move into its complementary socket nearly to the cross piece 44, so that parts 32 and 42 have a maximum amount of engaging surface in use for supporting the pipe lengths when the parts are hot. It will be seen, therefore, that the parts in Figs. 1 and 2 are illustrated in the position which they assume when cold.

While I have shown the element 14 as suspended from above, it is, clear that the connecting means 32 in accordance with my invention may be employed in arrangements in which the superheater elements are supported from beneath. It will be clear also that the parts of con necting means 32 are effectively cooled by the pipe lengths which they connect so that the use of expensive heat resistant alloys can, in most cases, be avoided and parts 34 and 42, or their equivalents be made of ordinary carbon steel.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with two pipe lengths one above the other of a member. means securing said member to one of said lengths in good heat conducting relation thereto, a second member. means securing said second member to the other of said lengths and in good heat conductin rela-,

interlocking connection between said members.

2. The combination of a device having a plurality of substantially parallel pipe lengths arvertical plane, means for supporting the upper 01 said lengths, and means for supporting together successive pipe lengths of said device which are below said upper length each from the-length immediately above it, said second means composed of parts in welded contact with said lengths and adapted to permit relative longitudinal motion between adjacent pipe lengths.

3. The combination with two pipe lengths one above the other of a member, weld metal arranged to secure said member to one of said lengths in good heat conducting relation therewith, a second member, a second body of weld metal arranged to secure said second member to the other of said lengths in good heat conducting relation therewith, and means providing a slidable interlocking connection between said members.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 1 and in which the interlocking connection between the members is adapted to permit relative, longitudinal movement of the members.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 3 and in which the interlocking means is adapted to permit relative longitudinal movement of the members.

6. The combination of a unit having substantially parallel coplanar pipe lengths arranged for series flow therethrough, and means exterior to said lengths for connecting an adjacent pair of said pipe lengths together, said means having good thermal contact with said pair of lengths,

said connecting means including a slidable dovetail joint.

7. A unit having a plurality of coplanar pipe lengths connectedfor series flow therethrough, and connecting means between a plurality of successive pairs of said lengths, said means providing a tongue and groove joint between lengths of a given pair and lying between planes each externally tangent to said coplanar lengths.

8. A superheater having units arranged to contact with heating gases and each unit having a plurality of coplanar pipe lengths connected for series iiow of steam therethru, and connecting means between a plurality of successive pairs of' said lengths, said means providing a slidable dovetail joint between lengths of a given pair and so'assembled that the dovetail portion is somewhat ofiset from the groove portion when the parts are cold and moves further into the groove portion when the parts are hot, the two parts of each joint having weld type connections to the pipe lengths connected thereby.

9. The combination with two pipe lengths one above the other of a member having a dovetail thereon, weld metal arranged to secure said member to one of said lengths in good heat conducting relation therewith, a second member having a socket for receiving the dovetail portion of said first member and having a transverse portion across one end of said socket, and weld metal arranged to secure said member to the other of said lengths in good heat conducting relation therewith.

10. The combination of a unit having substantially parallel co-planar pipe lengths arranged for series flow therethrough, and means exterior to said lengths for connecting an adjacent pair of pipe lengths together, said connecting means having good thermal contact with said lengths, and including a slidable interlocking joint.

CHARLES W. GORDON.

ranged for series flow therethrough and in a 

